Mechanism for printing from intaglio printing-plates.



H. A. W. WOOD. MECHANJSMFOR PRINTING FROM INTAGLIO PRINTING PLATES..

APPLICATION FILED DEC.8.1914.

Patented @ept. 4,1917.

A Fl@m HENRY A. WISE WOOD, OF YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO WOOD & NATHAN COM- PANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. a, 1917.

Original application filed September 30, 1905, Serial No. 280,752. Divided and this application filed Decemher 8, 1914. Serial No. 876,006.-

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY A. WISE W001), a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Mechanism for Printing from Intaglio Printing-Plates, of which the following is a specification.

This is a division of my patent on mechanism for printing from intaglio printing plates No. 1,208,878, anted December 19, 1916, on an application filed Sept. 30, 1905.

The object of this invention is to provide improved mechanism for removing surplus ink from intaglio printing plates.

The customary method of printing from intaglio or printing plates with the design cut or etched therein consists in inking the plates, wiping or scraping ofi the surplus ink so as to leave ink'only in the depressions, and then pressing the sheet ofpaper on the plates.

This invention relates to an improvement by which it is made practical to remove the ink by a mechanical metallic scraper especially in a press of the type having a bed and platen which come together for the impression; the ink removing scraper being movable between them over the plate, preferably upwardly, and carrying yvith it a receptacle for the surplus ink.

The invention further consists of certain arrangements and combinations hereinafter described in the specification and pointed out in the claims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming part of this application for patent, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a platen printing press having a reciprocating impression member with my invention applied thereto, and

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of an oscillating platen printing press with my invention applied thereto.

From earliest times in the art of printing it has been recognized that printed products of artistic merit could best be produced from printing plates engraved or etched in intaglio; and in more recent times the mechanical perfection of intaglio printing plates has been greatly increased by various photo processes.

In order to do artistic printingfrom intaglio printing plates, particularly in order to produce satisfactory results from .photoetched plates, it is necessary to wipe the surface of the plate free from ink without disturbing the ink which should be retained in the very fine stipple or minute cells which are etched or engraved into the face of the plate.

The art of printing from intaglio printing plates is an art practised with best results by hand, and by the aid of the judgment and experience of skilled specialists in plateprinting.

In the ordinary hand press for plate printing the inking of the plate is the part of the operation which requires the most skill and judgment. A skilled plate-printer after having inked the surface of his plate is required to use great care in wiping off the surface of the plate, and although some printers have attempted to use various wipers of soft material, it has been found in practice that the most artistic and satisfactory results are produced by workmen who use the palms of their hands in cleaning the surfaces of their plates before the successive sheets are laid thereon to be im printed by their presses.

A number of different constructions have been proposed for mechanically printing.

from intaglio printing plates. In some instances the machines have been designed to follow as closely as possible the steps of hand-printing. In one typical form of such machines it was proposed to drag the plates in horizontal orbits by chains, so that the plates would be successively carried past inking devices, and past wiping devices for cleaning oif the surplus ink, the sheets being placed upon the plates by hand. In these machines, asin all other machines for mechanically printing from intaglio printing plates it was proposed to use cushioned wipers of chamois-skin or other soft material. These machines are not capable of producing the highest grade of artistic work, for the reason that the wipers will press into the intaglio and tear out the finer points, or stipples, of the design, and will also remove the ink from the smaller interstices of the plate, which ink should be retained in order to produce the best results, especially from photo'etched plates.

I have discovered that printing presses of ordinary type, to wit, reciprocating printing presses including bed-and-platen machines in which the impression is made between a type-carrying bed and cooperating platen, can be used for producing artistic printing from intaglio printing plates by providing such printing presses with scrapers or blades which can be adjusted to scrape,

off the surplus ink from the surfaces of intaglio printing plates, without ripping out or breaking down the stipple or fine points of the design, and without removing the ink contained even in the finer depressions of the intaglio plates.

The invention will be best understood by describing the mechanism in detail.

Referring to the mechanism shown in the drawing the invention is applied to a printing machine having a member which reciprocates toward and away from the printing plate. In this construction, B designates the stationary bed or plate-carrying member; C designates the impression memher which is moved relatively to the bed by means of suitable wrist-pins and pitmen; F designates the ink fountain; T the ink spreading table; and G designates the plate inking rollers. These rollers are mounted in arms 32 forming part of a roll-carrying frame, and the rollers are held in contact with the ink-spreading table T and printing plate by means of springs 33.

The plate inking rollers G are moved from the fountain F over the ink-spreading table T and over the printing plate or plates by any of the mechanism commonly employed in platen printing presses.

Suitable ways 34 are formed on theside of the bed B and fitted on these ways are frames 35. These frames are moved withthe plate inking rollers G by means of slotted arms 36 which extend from the frame carrying the plate inking rollers, and which engage pins 37 extending from said frames 35.

Arranged between the frames 35 is a shaft I 38 to which is secured the scraper S. Secured on said shaft is an arm 39 which has a pin 40 which is adapted to strike on one of the frames, as shown to hold the scraper accurately in operative position.

A spring-pressed hook 41 isarranged in one of the frames 35. Pins or projections 42 and 43 are arranged on the impression member G to operate the spring-pressed hook.

As, the roller frame reaches the bottom of its movement, the hook 41 will come in contact with the pin 42, thereby releasing the arm 39 and operating the scraper S so that as the roller frame makes its upward movement, the scraper S will scrape off and deposit the surplus ink in the receptacle B.

As the roller frame reaches the upward limit of its movement the arm 39 will come into contact with the pin or projection 43 which will depress the same and will allow position may be an operative or inoperative one, depending upon the adjustment.

In Fig. 2 a modification is shown wherein the invention is applied toa printing platen mechanism having an oscillating printing member C, the only difference from the form shown in Fig. 1 being that the pin 42 is secured to the frame.

Many other arrangements and modifications can be devised for constructing my invention by a skilled mechanic without departing from'the scope of my invention as expressed in the claims.

Havin thus fully described my invention what I c aim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a machine for printing from intaglio printing plates, the combination with a vertical stationary printing plate, of a scraping blade movable upwardly over the surface of said plate to remove surplus ink therefrom on its upward motion.

2. In a mechanism for printing from intaglio printing plates, the combination of a vertical print ng member for carrying the printing plate, a scraping blade, means for moving the blade upwardly over the surface of said plate for removing surplus ink therefrom, and a receptacle movable with the blade for receiving the ink from said blade.

3. In a mechanism for printing from intagl io printing plates, the combination of a statlonary printing member for carrying the printing plate, an impression member movable toward and from the printing member, an inking mechanism for the plate, and a scraper movable over the surface of the plate on said printing member between the printing and impression members, to remove the surplus ink from the plate.

4. In a mechanism for printing from intaglio printing plates, the combination of a printing member having means for carrying a printing plate, an impression member, means for operating one of said members, an inking mechanism movable over the printing plate between said members when they areseparated, and a scraper movable with said inkin mechanism for removing the surplus ink from the plate.

5. In a mechanism for printing from intaglio printing plates, the combination of a printing member for carrying an intaglio plate, an inking mechanism movable alon said plate, a scraper frame connected with the inking mechanism to be moved thereby, a scraper blade pivoted on said scraper frame, and a spring-pressed hook connected with said frame and having means for holding the blade out of position to contact with the plate.

6. In a mechanism for printing from in taglio printing plates, the combination of a printing member for carrying an intaglio plate, an inking mechanism movable along 5 said plate, a scraper frame connected with the inking mechanism to be moved thereby,

a scraper blade pivoted on said scraper frame, a spring-pressed hook connected with said frame and having means for holding 10 the blade out of position to contact with the plate, and yielding means for holding the blade in position to engage the plate when the hook is inoperative.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence'of t-Wo subscribing i witnesses.

HENRY A. WISE WQQD.

Witnesses STAFFORD HENDRIX, ANNA BLESSING. 

